Tag Archives: seminar

Happy Spring Sake Friends!The nearly month-long Cherry Blossom Festival is about to kick off this week in Vancouver and one of the premier events is the Sakura Days Japan Fair at the beautiful Van Dusen Botanical Gardens. This year, there will be 4 sake seminars (2 each on Saturday and Sunday) sponsored by the newly formed, Sake Association of BC.

Dates and Times:Saturday, April 5: 2pm & 3:30pm (seminar/tasting is an hour)Sunday, April 6: 2pm & 3:30pm (seminar/tasting is an hour)Price: $10 (this is on top of the Japan Fair entrance fee)

Learn about sake from 3 certified Advanced Sake Professionals (ASP) and taste 5 unique varieties. Your sake guides will be myself, Miki Ellis from Miku/Minami Restaurants, and Iori Kataoka from Shuraku/Zest Japanese Restaurants. There will be much fun and discussion! Tickets for the tasting are a mere $10 on top of entrance fee to the Fair. You need to pre-register for the event on the same day you are attending. Come by to the entrance area of Visitor Centre Classroom where the seminar will take place, and book a spot. Registration opens at 10am, both days. Only 20 attendees per class, please bring a government-issued photo id. You must be 19 yrs of age or older to attend. Here’s a link for more info.

Come join me on November 2 at SAIT’s new downtown culinary campus for Sake 101.

Learn about the history of Japanese sake, how we determine a grade of a sake, how it is produced. Sample an array of grades and styles of sake, and how these can be paired with food.

My passion for sake is equaled only by my love for Japan. The first sake pilgrimage I made in 2006 began an almost yearly visit to the Land of the Rising Sun, to continuing my studies of the so-called, Drink of the Gods, and marvel at the anachronistic spectacle that is Japan.

Back then, ten students and our sake sensei, John Gauntner, began an intensive week of sake knowledge training in Kamakura, with jaunts to breweries in Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto. Nowadays, John’s courses commands far larger spaces and is conducted at the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association headquarters in Tokyo, as well as holding satellite courses in the U.S. Our ‘graduation’ photo is above.

In 2008, John held his inaugural second level course in sake which I attended, along with several of my Level I alumni. There were about 25 of us, and 18 passed the written and blind tasting exams.

Being the first Canadian female to pass the exam was a privilege that I am proud and thrilled to have achieved. I try my best to continue sharing my love for sake with my fellow North Americans.

I have taught classes in Canada and the U.S., having also brewed sake commercially for moto-i, the first sake brewery restaurant outside of Japan.

Making sake is incredibly difficult work, but also deeply satisfying. Knowing that the brews were destined to be served to curious imbibers who were mostly new to the drink, made us want to do it right–as close to what we witnessed, felt, and drank in Japan.

Sharing our deep appreciation for sake and Japan was of the utmost importance and the impetus for starting moto-i. The brewing experience continues to inspire me and has made me a better sake educator.

Please come and discover why premium sake is so awesome! It’s sure to be a fun evening, I promise.